It's been quite a summer, and August has been quite a month!
Pardon my sorrow, but I am a tad bit sad to see summer winding down. Even though the forecast is showing a grand return to more seasonal temps this next week, there's no denying what's to come afterwards. The dwindling daylight and cooler mornings have served me up a bitter taste of reality (aka fall, or "pre-winter," LOL).
At least there will still be plenty of warm days to enjoy for the time being.
Nonetheless, August has come and gone and it's time for the monthly gathering, with mugs in hand, for some chatter. I have a few things to bring to the table (see what I did there?), so shall we get started?
If we were chatting, mugs in hand, I'd tell you about my August stats. In a nutshell, August 2023 was very good to me (both on the road and off). My running miles are creeping back up to where they should be this time of year (prepping for fall races). Walking saw a lot of action, due to a lot of days with triple-digit temps. And we all know how much cycling I do, for general fitness and recovery, but also for entertainment and all things social. Lots of action, outdoors, and that's just the way I like it.
If we were chatting, mugs in hand, I'd whine (briefly) about my confusion as to what constitutes an interesting post vs. a mediocre one on Instagram. Case in point, Monday's bike ride selfie. At last count, it had almost 158 likes...and it's kind of an unflattering pic (in a boring location, LOL). Then there's Tuesday's morning workout pic...an "action" shot, muscles flexing, interesting composition (yadda yadda yadda), and it got a mere 26 likes. What gives? Do people like the spontaneous pics, posted during the dinner hour (with goofy smiles) better?
If we were chatting, mugs in hand, I'd share another mind-blowing social media head-scratcher: the popularity of my recent arm sleeves reel on Facebook. Seriously, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever! The same reel, posted on my non-fitness (personal) Facebook, had nearly 900 plays compared to its posting on Instagram, where it barely grazed the 100-mark. Maybe my non-fitness followers are considering getting more active (?).
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If we were chatting, mugs in hand, I'd tell you my latest big girl adventure. Drum roll... I applied for a passport! Yes, I know, finally! Truth be told, I'd never had (or needed) one before, so I thought, "Why not?" Let me tell you, they don't come cheap...
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| Gotta love the flattering mug shot! |
Lastly, if we were chatting, mugs in hand, I'd announce the start of "salsa season." It seems all my tomatoes are ripening at once, especially the cherry tomatoes. Can I tomato-fess that I think I eat more of them (right off the vine) than I actually bring inside? Sorry, not sorry.
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| The Great 2023 Salsa Premiere... |
Anyways, those are a few things I'd share if we were gathered, with mugs in hand. I've chatted long enough...it's your turn!
What would you want to chat about? Did August play-out nicely for you? Any issues with inconsistency, regarding posts on Instagram? Ever made homemade salsa, from your garden?
Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking this with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.
I don't even notice likes on Insta anymore, nor do I post consistently. I'm done caring about that kind of stuff. Love the salsa! I made another tomato concoction I'll share soon!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't have OCD regarding the likes either, but it's just weird how they vary so much, LOL. I'm excited to hear about your tomato concoction!
DeleteWhoop, whoop, on the passport!! Where are you going to get your first stamp from? :-) I'm with you on the IG what makes a good photo, LOL - some photos I think are going to be a hit, are not, and vice versa!
ReplyDeleteOh, I have no immediate travel plans, I just thought it would be a handy thing to have...you know, just in case a travel opportunity presents itself.
DeleteIf you can figure out how IG works, please enlighten me! I have pretty much given up on trying to figure it out. I have had a lot of issues with my app this week. Everyone should have a passport! Where will you go first??
ReplyDeleteI think Insta has been acting weird recently, especially in recent weeks. No idea on where my travels will take me, LOL. They won't be happening anytime soon since it takes awhile to get the actually passport back after applying for it. The guy told me anywhere between 10-15 weeks!
DeleteOooh, is there some international travel in your future? My passport is expired, so I have to get it renewed. But I'm not looking forward to the cost of the hassle.
ReplyDeleteI rarely post on instagram so I can't help with your mystery. But I would guess it could be something as random as the time of day you're posting?
Lastly- I feel your pain. I really do! When I lived up north I HATED fall. It's only now that I live in Florida I can be cheery about it. Winter up there is NO. FUN.
Yeah, I'm think the time of day is a factor...I'm just surprised the early morning time frame isn't ideal and the "dinner hour" seems to be when everyone is "on."
DeleteLiving in a tiny country like Switzerland, it would be impossible to live without a passport.
ReplyDeleteBut in such a big country like the US, I can understand why many people don't need one. Especially with the hassle and cost of getting one.
Someone told me that it also depends when you post on IG. If you catch a convenient time like Sundays, it can get many more likes than on a weekday. But your posts were both on weekdays, so it doesn't seem to make a difference after all!
Truth be told, I didn't grow up doing much traveling (other than summer vacations, which all were just in the continental US), so it wasn't a thing for me (or any of my friends, or even extended family, for that matter).
DeleteI have made home made salsa, but no garden this year. It might have been drowned if I had one! Or maybe it would've really liked all the rain.
ReplyDeleteI've had a passport since we got married. It hasn't gotten used a whole lot, but it has seen some action, and of course now you need it just to go into Canada (was not the case when we lived in VT & frequently did day trips into Canada). Enjoy yours! Any exciting plans?
We actually crossed the Canadian border a few times, while living in Michigan, and we didn't need passports back then. I have no immediate plans at the moment, but thought it would be a nice thing to have.
DeleteYour salsa looks delicious! In my own home, I've only canned pickles; but with my mom, I've pretty much helped can everything under the sun. Why grow tomatoes if you're not going to enjoy them right off the vine, right?
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear from where you might get your passport stamped first!
I love tomatoes! It's just a struggle to stay on top of all the harvesting this time of year...
DeleteI feel like it has a lot to do with algorithms on IG.... sometimes I don't see posts from people I follow for days or even weeks, and sometimes they show up all the time... so the different numbers of likes could be related to if people are actually shown your posts.
ReplyDeleteI also find that a lot of people prefer stories to posts these days (I am not one of them).
Oh, I agree...the algorithms are crazy!
DeleteOoh I can't wait to find out where you're going with the passport. Happy travels!
ReplyDeleteI'm not giving up on summer yet...but yes it's winding down. Sigh.
Don't worry, there aren't any travel plans on the calendar at the moment ;-)
DeleteI definitely do not understand what does and doesn't do well on social media anymore -- it doesn't make sense! I kinda just post whenever I feel like it now.
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to attempt to grow tomatoes, but I haven't started trying yet because I feel like I have kinda-black thumbs. :'(!
I usually try to post just what I'm feeling as well.
DeleteI have long since given up trying to figure out IG - the algorithyms are constantly changing.
ReplyDeleteYay for the passport! Do you think you'll be putting it to use soon?
No immediate plans for travel, and I was told it'll probably take 10-15 weeks to get the passport in the mail!
DeleteMy only sadness over the end of summer is the reality that I won’t make it to the beach this summer. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI got a new passport in March 2020 — and paid to expedite it before my (planned) April trip. We all now how that went. Do you have plans of where you want go?
Nope, no travel plans; I just thought it was a good thing to have on hand
DeleteYou've never had a passport? Wow! Excited to see where you make your first trip to. Social media is weird. I rarely pay attention to the likes, shares, and all of those stats.
ReplyDeleteOne day I will figure out the algorithm. And then it will change again.
ReplyDeleteWe are renewing our passports (and A is getting a new one, since he was like 8 when he first got his and needs an update). I got my first one as a junior in high school. It''s one of my greatest treasures. Can't wait to see the adventures you take.